High Mortality in SUT Patients, particularly among women, and regional variations in mortality risks
1 Millennium Nucleus for the evaluation and analysis of Drug Policies
2 Ph.D. student, School of Public Health, Universidad de Chile
3 Department of Public Health, Facultad de Medicina y Ciencia, Universidad San Sebastián, Chile
To describe the standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) for all adult patients in publicly funded SUT within 2010-2022, along with regional specificities
Design: a population-based retrospective cohort of adults enrolled in Chilean SUT programs (18-65) with national mortality data (2010-2020).
Analysis plan. We calculated SMRs by comparing the observed deaths vs. the expected within regions, age groups (18-29, 30-44, 45-59 & 60-65), periods (annually), and across sexes. Stratum-specific population estimates were obtained from the Ministry of Health’s mortality data, supplemented by population projections from the National Institute of Statistics’ open data portal\(^{[6]}\). Regional data on cocaine, marijuana, and hazardous alcohol use were obtained from the 2020 Chile National Drug Study by the National Drug and Alcohol Prevention and Rehabilitation Service. 95% confidence intervals(CIs) were calculated using Vandenbroucke’s method\(^{[7]}\).
Figure 1: Characteristics of SUT patients
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Figure 2: Standardized mortality ratios for people in SUT, by age group and sex
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Figure 3: Regional data in quartiles
The SMR in the SUT population was 15.5 (95%CI 15.0, 16.1) times higher than expected based on the general population. Women aged between 30-44 had a mortality risk up to 29.6 times (95%CI 26.0, 33.5) higher than expected.
Regions with high SMRs for men also have high SMRs for women. There were also regional variations in mortality risks post-SUT, but the regional prevalence of problematic substance use does not appear to be related to SMRs.
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This work was funded by ANID - Millennium Science Initiative Program - N° NCS2021_003 (Castillo-Carniglia) and ANID - Doctoral Scholarship National Doctorate/2023-21230172 (González-Santa Cruz)
Correspondence to: Andrés González-Santa Cruz, gonzalez.santacruz.andres@gmail.com
High Mortality in SUT Patients, particularly among women, and regional variations in mortality risks